Twighlight
by Drake Arrowing
Summary: Ch.5 is up! For insight into one of the characters backround, read Arc the archangel's: Arc's origin. rating went up. Mild voilence. Please read & reveiw.
1. Moonlight

**Twilight**

_Disclaimer: **I Do Not Own Any Adventure Quest Characters (Except my own. Also, this is my first fic, so go easy on the criticizing. But if you have a good tip for me, they are more than welcome.**_

_-'Thoughts'_

-"Speech"

Ch.1

Moonlight

Fang retreated behind a nearby tree, clutching his arm in pain. He glanced at the golden brown fur on his arm and winced at the sight, it was bad. The fight had dragged on for too long and he had gotten careless.

"_That's all it takes, just one mistake…"_ he remembered the king telling him. He sniffed the air and a foul stench of blood reached his canine nostrils. The smell was not coming from his cut however. He quickly rolled away from his hiding spot just as the tree hiding him was cleaved in two. He growled menacingly at the vampire captain stepped through the wreck and grinned at his prey.

"Ready to die, Lycan scum!" it hissed at Fang. His red-stained fangs glinting in the moonlight.

"Not before you!" Fang barked back defiantly, and forgetting the pain in his arm, raised his sword and charged his adversary. Very, very stupid move… the black horned figure caught him around the throat and with his sword-arm, knocked Fang's aside. Fang struggled in his captor's grip but to no avail. He felt the end coming, his vision beginning to blur. He hated that the last thing he heard would be that filthy vampire's laugh. But wait… the laughing stopped? His stared through the fog of his eyes and noted a terrified expression on the captain's face. But he wasn't looking at Fang, it was something behind him. His eyes bulging from their sockets, he dropped his prey and took off into the black sky.

"What the?" Fang muttered. Suddenly something white, something enormous, something… WITH WINGS shot past him and after the retreating vampire. A loud roar echoed in the forest as he gradually gained on the predator-turned-prey.

'_It couldn't be,'_ Fang thought to himself. He kneeled on the ground were the undead filth had left him. He remembered stories of them, but never actually seen one except sketches in his study books. "But, could that really be…"

He was cut off by a loud "THUMP!" as the charred body of the vampire captain fell not more that three feet from him, his tattered clothing still on fire. And there it was, striding toward him, walking on its hind legs and wearing a strange silver armor. It knelt down to the body and withdrew the seemingly unharmed blade from its wielder's scorched hand. Suddenly, it glanced up at Fang. Those golden reptilian eyes staring right into fang's blue ones, but the dragon did not move. A strange feeling came over Fang as he wondered, _'why didn't it finish me first?'_

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_sorry for the short chapter. tell me what you think. ; )_


	2. The Dracomancer

**Twilight**

_Disclaimer: **I Do Not Own Any Adventure Quest Characters (Except my own).**_

_**Author's note: sorry for the short first chapter. The rest will be longer. And thanks Xenolord for reviewing! Enjoy!**_

_-'Thoughts'_

-"Speech"

Ch. 2

The Dracomancer 

The two stared at eachother, not saying a word. Fang still pondered why the dragon had not attacked him yet. Perhaps it would just leave him alone…

'_Spoke too soon,' _he thought dreadfully as the dragon finally rose to its feet and began to close the distance betweenhimself and the injured werewolf. _'Run you idiot!' _he shouted to himself, but his legs would not respond. His whole body had simply ceased to move, frozen in fear. His eyes saw the torn and scorched body of the vampire captain and quickly slammed them shut. He was going to end up just like that, fur burned away and body in tatters, he knew it. He clenched his teeth in anticipation, _'This is it…'_

However, instead of razor-sharp fangs or searing heat, Fang felt a cold drizzle down his arm and felt warmth spread over him. He opened his eyes and saw the dragon kneeling over his wounded arm and emptying the red contents of a bottle onto the now closing cut. The dragon tossed the now empty bottle away and went back to looting the corpse. Fang stared on in disbelief, _'It… it SAVED me?'_

"How do you like that Safiria, I have one of your fire blades and I didn't need to join your pathetic army. Heh."

'_Wait a minute… did he just speak?' _Fang wondered, now staring at he dragon in awe. Sensing Fang's gaze, the white-scaled beast looked up and smiled at Fang's bewildered face, sharp teeth ran along the upturned muzzle. It wasn't a grin or a smirk, just a casual smile. This seemed to loosen Fang's tongue.

"Th-thank you…" he stammered. The dragon simply nodded and went back to rummaging for anything of value on the corpse. "S-so, does that make us… are you… are you on our side?"

"That depends," the dragon answered, finished emptying the captain's money pouch, "What 'side' are you referring to?"

This answer puzzled Fang, "The lycan brotherhood of course, you did just slay a vampire after all…"

"I serve no army or clan, I serve myself and those who I see fit should live." The dragon replied, sitting down.

"Why would you find me worthy of living?" fang said before realizing that he just said something incredibly stupid.

"Truth be told I saved your life by accident," the dragon admitted with a shrug, "I was simply aiming for the first vampire I saw, and to your good fortune it happened to be this one. As to why I have not attacked you… well, I had no reason to, you did not attack me or show signs of doing so, and I can tell you are not evil because I would have smelled innocent blood on you, so I took pity on you when I saw you were hurt."

Fang sat, turning over what he had just heard in his head. But then, an all-too familiar voice he both hated and feared shattered the silence.

"Demon's blood and broken tree, what wicked creature could this be, that lurks just beyond my sight, hiding in the darkened night? Come, bare your fangs and charge at me, or shall I come in after thee?"

"The Slayer…" Fang whispered. A chill ran up his spine and his fur stood on end.

"E…" the dragon whispered, "Let me reason with him." And with that the dragon stood and closed his eyes in concentration. A blinding aura surrounded him and Fang had to shield his eyes. When he looked back, the dragon was gone. A human had taken its place and was now staring at Fang's gaping face.

'_Where did the dragon go? Wait a minute, that IS the dragon!' _Fang was staring in awe at the strange human. It had to be him, he wore the same armor, and his eyes are still yellow, and his skin rather pale. His light gray hair was spiked backward and reminded Fang of the horns that protruded from the dragon's head. The human glanced at Fang, motioning for him to be quiet, and pushed his way through the thick foliage.

"Stay your hand nightwatcher, for you hold no quarrel with me, the vampire lord lies dead beyond yonder tree." Said the mysterious human. Fang noted how he spoke like the hunter, _'Did they know eachother?'_

"Ah! Guardian from Battleon, come sit with me! It's been far too long!" E said with enthusiasm.

"I would love to catch up on old times, have a bite to eat, and converse in rhymes. But I am in a bit of a hurry you see, I must be off, please don't follow me."

Fang heard the slayer trudge off through the woods with a sigh of relief. The human made his way back to Fang.

"You know the slayer?" he asked.

"We fought off an undead army in Battlon once upon a time." He chuckled. "The way that makes it three you owe me… What is you name anyway? You do have one don't you?" he asked laying on the ground and propping his head up on a nearby tree.

"Fang," he replied, "And who… WHAT are you?" he asked before he could stop himself.

The human rose to his feet and smiled cockily, and as though he had been rehearsing for an occasion like this he said boldly, "I am Drake of the northern hills of Dragonspine, home to my fellow dragons and dracomancers. It is a pleasure to meet you Fang." he said, and stretched out a hand.

"The honor is all mine." Fang answered, rising to his feet and clasping his clawed hand to the metal gauntlet. They shook. Fang smiled at his new friend, a human, no wait, a dracomancer.

_**Sorry for all the talking, but i needed a fill-in sort of chapter or else i couldn't go anywhere. But don't worry, plenty of action coming up.**_

_-Drake_


	3. Blood Moon

**Twilight**

_Disclaimer: **I Do Not Own Adventure Quest (Except my own characters). Maria Despair belongs to Xenolord and is used with permission.**_

_-'Thoughts'_

-"Speech"

Ch.3

Blood Moon 

The two figures sat and laughed. They looked completely harmless at the moment, but she knew better. She had seen what the silver one was capable of and knew him well. After all, it was hard to walk through the guardian tower without hearing some story surrounding the dracomancer Drake.

'_Not for much longer though.' _She thought to herself with a grin and hurried off quietly.

"Milady, mistress Despair has found the dracomancer, he has slain one of the captains and taken his weapon." A vampire relayed to Queen Safiria, "Apparently, he did not like your generous offer." He added with a slight grin.

"I'll have none of your cheek, Evan," Safiria said annoyed' "I want you to take a squad of your finest and run him down. I can only spare one of my vamps accompany you, the rest are on a special mission for me. Now get going, I want that filthy human to pay for his impudence."

"Yes milady." Said Evan, he gave a short bow and turned to leave the room, his cloak flowing behind him. He motioned for his men to follow him and glanced at the scout before he left, the only vampire he ever knew to wear white. He wouldn't dare comment her on this habit though, he had seen the last one to do such a thing. The warrior vampire didn't have time to think before a blast of light shot from the woman's sword, impaling him and blinding everyone in the room. When they could see again, his ashes and sword lay in a heap on the ground.

Maria stared back at the leaving commander. She grimaced in revulsion at his smile. She knew he was just a wise guy that only looked after himself. Maybe after having him go on this mission, she wouldn't have to put up with his wise cracks flying around the castle. With luck, Drake would target him first. She suddenly remembered that Yulgar had gotten a new shipment today! She cursed herself for not remembering. Quietly, she slipped into a deserted room and summoned her copy.

"You may be able to fool the others, but stay out of sight in case Safiria wants you to go on another patrol." She told her counterpart. It nodded in approval and left the room while the real Maria slipped out the window and headed for Battleon.

Drake and Fang were by now wending their way through the dense forest, talking and joking, but in low voices so they could keep their ears peeled for any sign of movement other than their own. Drake had just finished explaining his childhood love of dragons that ended up leading him to dracomancery when he became a Battleon guardian.

"That's the second time you've mentioned this 'Batteon' place, what is it?" Fang whispered.

"WHAT!" Drake said, not bothering to whisper. In his surprise he nearly ran into a dead tree. "You have never heard of Battleon! You had to have traveled through there before ending up here." Fang shook his head.

"No, I was born and raised in the den; I have never left the forest. I have heared some of the others speak of lands beyond and especially, well," he glanced at Drake, "Dragons." Drake looked dumbfounded. He had never heard of being born into a sub-race.

'_Well, you learn things every day, eh?' _Drake thought to himself. Suddenly a spear rocketed past his head and lodged itself into a nearby tree. Drake didn't even bother turning around before transforming. His slitted eyes turned to the small platoon of vampires. One of them, brawny in stature with shoulder-length black hair, was smirking at the two. Drake supposed he was the leader.

"Well, well, well," Evan said leisurely, "I was sent to kill a lizard, but I wasn't counting on him having a pet." Fang growled at him. "Aw well, I guess I could use a new floor rug, the old one's getting ragged. Get them!" Evan smiled wickedly as the warrior to his right threw another spear, this one aimed at Fang who dodged under it and brought his sword out.

"Great we're surrounded…" Said Fang backing into Drake, "I would say we're outnumbered twenty-to-one."

"I like those odds!" Said Drake, assuming a battle stance, a manic gleam in his eyes. The group of vampires charged them. Drake grabbed the first one to reach him and flung it back into the oncoming crowd. The three that had become tangled never had a chance to dodge the oncoming fireball. Fang was locked in a duel with a rather skilled warrior. The two seemed evenly matched, blocking eachothers blows again and again. They locked swords and stared eachother in the eyes, Fang baring his teeth and growling, the other wore a triumphant smile.

'_What's so funny?' _Fang thought and stopped growling. Without the extra sound, he could pick up a faint whistling and instinctively ducked. The warrior stumbled backward, clutching the spear that had pierced all the way through his chest. Fang turned to the stunned vampire behind him and brought his sword across his neck. Meanwhile Drake was holding one of his assailants over the ground with his tail and wrestling with the lord who had thrown the spears earlier. They locked arms. "You like trowing things, eh?" asked Drake wickedly as he brought his tail around and using the suffocated vampire as a club, smashed the juggernaut undead into the ground, making a sickening 'CRACK'!

"Hey big boy!" said a voice behind Drake. He turned and saw one of Safiria's elite vamps in a fighter stance. She winked coyly at him.

"Oh, cheap shot." Drake said shaking his head. _'I promised I would never hurt a girl…'_

She launched herself at him, punching and kicking for all she was worth. Drake kept ducking and dodging, which for a creature his size was no easy task. Annoyed, she pulled a spear out of the tree next to her and began advancing with ferocious swings. A few feet away, Fang wasn't having an easy time fighting with Evan. Both had been disarmed and were now quite literally were fighting tooth and nail.

"What's wrong furball, too fast for ya?" Evan taunted as he dodged yet another wild swing of Fang's claws. Fang aimed a kick at the vampire only to have it blocked and be countered by a hook to the muzzle. He backed up and then launched a huge punch at Evan's turned back. But he had been waiting for this. Before the fist reached him, he jumped into the air and caught hold of an overhead branch. Swinging around it, he landed right behind the shocked Fang, who now found himself being strangled for the second time that night. He struggled and kicked but Evan's vice grip was digging into Fang's windpipe and slowly draining the life out of him.

"Fang!" Drake shouted as he was grazed by the oncoming spear.

"So, Fang is it?" Said Evan, "Well I think it courteous to let you know the name of your executioner. My name is Evan, and I…Arg!" He never finished his sentence. Fang's head had turned just enough to be face-to-face with the arm cutting off his oxygen and now his jaw was closed firmly around Evan's arm.

"Ahhh!" He screamed, letting go of Fang and ran off into the blackness, cluching his arm. Fang stumbled to the ground and gulped down the air now flooding back into his lungs.

Meanwhile, Drake had abandoned his dragon form and was now moving more easily through the trees. The vamp showed no intention of letting up her furious onslaught and she swung her spear with wild determination. Drake's foot suddenly snagged a root and, taking his loss of concentration, the vamp slammed him into a tree with the back end of the spear.

'_Well, that's what you get for making a life-vow, moron!' _a voice in Drake's head shouted at him. _'Wait a minute, "He" could do it for me, it's okay for someone else to do it…'_

"Any last words dog lover?" The vamp asked with a wicked grin.

"Yeah," Drake said. He raised his head and she saw his eyes glowing. "Kethorat, take out the trash."

The vamp saw a strange glow coming from behind her and she turned. She barely saw the green scaled colossus in front of her before she was reduced to ash.

Drake straightened up and brushed off the ash and dust from his armor. He strolled over to where Fang was starting to stand up, still massaging his throat.

"Well, I seem to have made quite a name for myself in Darkovia." Drake said glancing at the battlefield around them. "I don't think Safiria is used to people telling her 'No'."

"We've gotta get out of here," Fang said in a raspy voice, "There might be more."

"Where is there to go? I'm completely wiped out and I'm not up to flying us out of here."

"The den is not too far from here, if we can get there, we will be safe." Fang said, his voice returning to normal. Drake gave Fang an apprehensive look. He got the message. "I'll ask the king if you can just 'visit' for a while. He'll understand." Drake nodded his head in agreement. They made their way quickly through the darkening forest, Fang leading. They finally reached a rocky outcropping shaped like a wolf head.

"I'll go in first, I'll let you know when it's safe to come in." Fang said. Drake nodded and watched as Fang made his way nimbly to the cave's entrance. There was a strange smell in the air that Drake could not put his claw on. Suddenly, he heard a wailing howl echo from the depths of the cave, it sounded mournful…

"Oh god…" Drake murmured as he sprinted toward the cave. He could recognize the strange scent now and hit himself mentally for not realizing it earlier. The smell the saturated the air around him, was blood.

_**Dun, dun, duuuun! Finally finished third chap! Things only get more intense from here on, so hold on, it's gonna be one heck of a ride!**_

_**Special thanks to Xenolord for lending me Maria. Chap.4 coming soon!**_

_-Drake_


	4. To Battleon

**Twilight**

_Disclaimer: **I Do Not Own Adventure Quest (Except my own characters). Maria Despair belongs to Xenolord and is used with permission.**_

_**Author's note: Also, for those who were confused last chapter, Drake is a dracomancer, which allows him to use a variety of dragon powers including summoning the great dragon Kethorat.**_

_-'Thoughts'_

-"Speech"

Ch.4

To Battleon 

"Fang?" Drake called into the cave as he sped inside, the scent of blood far more potent than it had been outside. "Fa…. by the creator…" Drake now stood in the belly of the cave and saw the results of a massacre. Bodies and weapons alike lay bleeding and broken on the rocky floor, patches of fur lay strewn about. It took all Drake's will to keep his composure.

"_Whine,_" Drake looked over to a corner of the room and saw Fang cradling another lycan's body and whimpering softly. Drake walked across the room to stand by his friend's side.

"Fang?" Fang did not move, he kept an iron grip on the body in his arms as tears dampened the fur under his eyes. "Your…your father?" Drake said chokingly. Fang did not reply. "What on Lore happened here…?" Drake asked the cavern walls. For an answer, he saw sword, blade the shade of obsidian and a blood red handle.

"Filthy vampires!" Drake spun around and saw Fang on his feet the body laid in a peaceful position on the floor. Fang lifted a bow and quiver of arrows from the floor and slung them over his shoulder. "I'll kill every last one!"

"Let's not put E out of a job now." Drake said, trying to lighten the situation up.

"Get out of the way!" Fang strode toward Drake, sword in hand and pointed at his head. "They won't get away with this!" Drake transformed into dragon form and fixed Fang with an intimidating glare. "That doesn't scare me any more." Fang said, cold fury piercing Drakes golden eyes.

"Fang, don't go." Drake said, almost pleadingly.

"I won't let them get away with this!" Fang shouted back through tears.

"They will get away with it if you just throw your life away! What would 'he' have wanted?" Drake gestured to the body laying in the corner. Fang stopped growling. He fell to his knees and started crying. Drake reverted back to his human form and knelt down to comfort his friend, scratching him behind his ears. A good ten minutes passed and Fangs sobs slowly died away.

"Well, sniff I don't think they got everyone." Fang said looking around the ransacked room. "I think most of them managed to get away." His face suddenly fell.

"What's wrong? Isn't it a good thing if they survived?" Drake asked. Fang suddenly looked lost.

"I don't know where the hiding place is at. The king tells no one where it's at, they just follow him when they need to. And now… I don't know where to go."

Drake patted Fang on the head. "Well, if you've got nowhere else to go, you could tag along with me for a while until things calm down over here and you can go back to the rest of your clan." Drake said and smiled.

"You mean it? I can come with you to see the outside?" Fang said, his tail wagging furiously.

"Sure thing."

"Thank you soo much!"

"Don't mention it, besides, it might do you some good to go on a vacation. Let's get going. I want to make Battleon by morning."

"Okay, but Drake… can I ask you to do me a favor… please?" he glanced up t Drake and then back at the floor. "Father said he never wanted one of those necromancers to get ahold of him if he… if he died. Could you please…?" Drake got the message. They gently carried the body of Fang's father outside. Drake placed him on a small pile of broken branches and set the pile aflame. Fang watched the fire rise up and consume the body. He could almost see it smiling. He turned to Drake when the fire had burned itself out and all that remained was ashes.

"Thank you." He said and wiped a tear from his face. They both nodded and set off toward the east. A red pair of eyes followed them as they left the forest behind them.

"You will pay, Fang. I will finish what I started, mark my words." The shadowy figure receded into the blackness and its huge frame faded away into blackness.

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The sun was already on the horizon as the two headed south. They had abandoned Drake's wings due to a massive wind current that had blown them off course. Drake knew they should have been there hours ago, but thought that the wind had just blown them back a little bit. Fang was marveling at his surroundings, looking every direction at once, mouth hanging open. Drake caught him when he tripped walking backwards.

"I think you should keep your eyes on ahead of you for the time being." Drake chuckled. Fang did not move his gaze. He was staring straight over Drake's shoulder. His eyes grew wide. "What…?" Drake did not have time to finish as he saw a massive shadow pass over him. He looked up and saw a huge red dragon fly overhead carrying a struggling figure in its claws.

"Off of me you hideous spawn of fire! Had I my blade with me I would cut off your horns and use them to decorate my mantle!" the struggling figure shouted at its kidnapper.

"Oh boy, Galanoth is in trouble again." Drake sighed. "Hold on Fang!" he transformed and spread his huge wings, crouching down on all fours to allow Fang to clamber on to his back. With a deafening roar, Drake took off. The struggling Galanoth took no notice of them. The red dragon was gaining distance however, and Drake was still tired from last night's events.

"Can you hit him from here?" Drake's voice panted. Fang readied his bow and aimed the frozen tip of the arrow at the retreating red mass and fired. The tip sank into the back of the dragon's neck and it let out a roar of agony. It writhed in midair and was able to tear the arrow out with its thrashing tail and kept flying. But the arrow had done its damage. Soon Drake was flying side by side with the beast that was at least 3 times his size. He looked over at Galanoth.

"How you holding up?" he shouted at the dragonslayer. Galanoth looked up, realizing Drake's presence. He scowled.

"Come to laugh dragonlover? Or are you here to help prepare breakfast?" he spat at Drake.

"Peace dragonslayer, I've come to get you down!" Drake shouted back, sounding thoroughly reluctant to be doing something so generous. "When I say, jump toward me and I'll catch you."

"I don't trust you!" Galanoth cried back. "I trust no Dragon!"

"Then how about a wolf?" Galanoth would have jumped three feet in the air if he wasn't held by the war dragon carrying him. Drake had lowered himself in the air to show Galanoth what had spoken. Sitting on the dracomancer's back was an armored lycan. It waved at the dragonslayer and spoke again. When I say, jump for me, I'll try to catch you."

"Rrrr, very well." He growled back, getting over his previous shock.

"One!" Drake said getting closer to the dragon. "Two!" Fang raised his bow yet again. "Three!" The arrow went straight through the dragon's left eye and out the other. Howling in pain, it dropped Galanoth. Drake swooped low and Fang managed to guide Galanoth onto Drake's back and they headed for the ground. Galanoth jumped off hastily followed by Fang. Drake wandered over to where the dragon was laying, blood running from its now open sockets. Drake put a hand on the dragon's head and stared down at its claws smelling human blood. They were stained nearly as red as its scales. But Galanoth hadn't been hurt. Drake quietly walked back to Fang, took the sword from his back, and walked back to the dying dragon. Drake once again placed his hand on the dragon's head and rubbed it behind its horns. It lowered its shaking head to the ground and with a little nod, old Drake to get it over with. Whether out of respect for Drake or the dragon, Galanoth turned away from the scene as drake brought the frozen point downward.

"Tahnks…" Galanoth said shuffling his steel toed boots into the soft earth. Drake, now back in human form, looked at the ground, a tear clutching at his chin. "That was a very noble thing to do."

"No…" Drake said quietly, "it was the RIGHT thing to do." He looked up, a small smile now on his face, but his eyes still heavy.

"You look like you two could use a rest at the inn," Galanoth said looking at Drake and Fang. He pointed northward, "Battleon's just a short way that way."

The two companions looked at eachother and burst into raucous laughter. They hadn't been blown backward, but PAST Battleon! They finally got ahold of themselves and bade Galanoth farewell.

"What an odd pair those two are…" He said shaking his head and set off back south.

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_**Man, these chapters keep getting longer on me. Things are really gonna heat up next chapter as we get all sorts of mayhem on the city streets. Please R and R.**_

_-Drake_


	5. Awe Inspiring

**Twilight**

_Disclaimer: **I Do Not Own Adventure Quest (Except my own characters). Maria Despair belongs to Xenolord and is used with permission. Arc belongs to Arc the Archangel. **_

_**Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I was out of town.**_

_-'Thoughts'_

-"Speech"

Ch. 5

Awe-Inspiring

"Whoa!" Fang gaped at the sight of the city. His gaze was caught by a huge tower that loomed in the back of the city.

"The guardian tower." Drake answered Fang's unasked question.

"It's almost as big as the vampire castle!" Fang said. His attention was caught by a small squeaky voice.

"Hi Drake! Need a quick heal?" Fang sniffed the air and licked his lips.

"Snack!" Cried Fang as he lunged for the shocked moglin. He stopped just short of the small, brown furred creature as it curled into a ball and shivered in fear. He looked behind him to see Drake in dragon form holding his tail.

"Down Fang! Twilly is not breakfast, he's our friend!" He gave Fang a cold stare. Fang straightened up and glanced longingly at the moglin, licking his lips. He shook his head, clearing away his hungry thoughts and waved at Twilly.

"Hi."

"H-hi yourself." Twilly said as he unrolled himself, still shaking.

"Sorry about that Twill, he hasn't eaten in awhile." Drake said, rubbing the moglin's head to calm him down. A loud grumble came from his stomach. "I guess I haven't had something to munch on in long time myself. You better warn Yulgar, he's in for two very hungry customers!" Twilly nodded and scampered off to one of the larger houses. Drake turned to Fang and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Fang, a few things you need to know before we go any further. One, don't eat anyone or anything that is alive in this town, they are my friends. Two, I'm a very respected person here, so don't be surprise if random people start bombarding me with requests or questions or any kind of "quest" in general." He and fang laughed. "Three, we aren't staying long. We go get some food, then I have some business with Yulgar, after that we hit the tower and then we are off on the road again."

"Where are we going so soon?" Fang wondered why they would be in a hurry.

"I need to check on Master Cyrus, my teacher." Drake responded. Their stomachs groaned again and Drake promptly led the way to the Inn Twilly had vanished into earlier. Drake and Fang approached the door. A sweet smell wafted from inside. They burst through the door, catching sight of an empty table that was loaded with food. The two starving friends bolted for the table, Drake tossing a bag of gold on the counter where a burley, brown-haired man stood. The man stared at the two who were now burying their faces into the food and shook his head with a smile.

"Don't eat the table now!" He said with a laugh. "Took me forever to buff out the teeth marks last time."

"Well, that's what I get for having a dragon's appetite!" Drake called back, his eyes turning to slits as he glanced at Yulgar with a smile. Drake took another monstrous bite out of his razorwing leg and looked back to Yulgar. "By the way, how's Battleon's new guardian coming along?" Drake asked between mouthfuls.

"Pretty good I guess, he left about a month ago, while you where out looking for that fire-blood sword or whatever it was. By the way, how did that go?"

"Safiria wouldn't let me have one unless I joined her, so I just blasted one of her peons to get it instead." Fang chuckled at that last part.

"So, who's our furry new customer here?" Yulgar asked, gesturing toward Fang who stopped eating, cheeks bulging with food. He eyed the innkeeper inquisitively.

"This is Fang, the previous owner of my new sword was having a little spat with this one. Bit off more than you could chew, eh?" the three chuckled.

"Haha, but seriously Drake, he eats about as much as you!"

"Well, you shouldn't complain then! It's your profit." Drake said, feigning indignity.

"Not so much as you think…" Yulgar's face turned grim, "Everyone knows the great things you've don lad, but there are those who are scared stiff of you, and it's I little bad for business…"

"Why would anyone who came here be scared of me? I only go after damned souls and those who attack me first. What should any well-meaning citizen have to be afraid of?"

"Don't get me wrong, I think Everyone's got a right to there own path and yours is no exception, but there are those who find your allegiance a little… unnerving."

Drakes eyes went cold, "They have a problem with what I am? Well they can take there complaints to Galanoth, I'm sure he'd love an excuse to go toe-to-talon with master Cyrus." He pushed his plate toward the center of the table and stood up.

'_Woah! Wait a minute, did he just say MASTER! This Cyrus guy must be pretty hard-core to be above Drake…' _Fang snapped out of his reverie and stood as well.

"Off for another weapon?" The innkeeper asked.

"Actually, yes… Yulgar do you still have that old hilt I found a while back?"

"Drake, you are the biggest pack-rat I ever… ah here it is!" Yulgar withdrew a strange golden handle guard and handed it to Drake. "Don't know why you kept the stupid thing. You could at least have let me make something out of it." Yulgat crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Trust me, I found a good use for it. If everything goes well, I'll show you." Drake smiled slyly as he strode from the inn with Fang in toe, leaving behind a very confused looking Yulgar.

"So, where are we going now?" Fang asked, looking around at all the strange houses and wondering which one they would visit next. To his surprise, Drake started to walk straight up the street, directly toward the huge tower. "I-I-in there!"

Drake nodded his head, and walked past the guards on the side of the door. But as Fang tried to follow, the spears crossed in front of him to block his way. Drake spun around confused.

"Halt! No non-guardian may pass this door." One of the guards said.

"But I'm with…" Fang started to protest.

"No exceptions!"

Drake stepped toward one of them, "Come on, he's with me. You can make an exception in my case right?" he pleaded with the guard.

"I said no exceptions, and that's final!" The guard turned his stern face to Drake, but his intimidating figure withered slightly under Drakes gaze. Drake began to growl in frustration as the guard refused to back down.

"Actually…" a voice behind Drake said. An armored hand came to rest on Drake's spiked shoulder plate, "I do believe he can come in. after all, there's nothing saying guardian "pets" aren't allowed. Let Drake's dog through why don't you." The figure smiled up at Drake who smiled back.

"Thanks Nimrod, I owe you one… well, I owe you a few… but you get the idea…" Drake rambled under his breath to the guardian. Nimrod winked at him then retuned to his table where he started flipping through a book. Fang walked up next to Drake and looked at him with a small amount of distain.

"So, do I have to sit or rollover or something?" he asked. His serious face twitched a little and a smile crept across his face. They both started laughing.

Drake led Fang up a staircase to the right side of the tower and into a strange circular room with a glowing column of light coming from the center.

"I'll only be a bit, wait here for me will you?" Drake said as he walked toward the beam, the strange golden hilt in hand. Fang nodded and sat next to the wall and watched as Drake disappeared into the beam.

"Do you have any fish?" a squeaky voice called. Fang looked to his left and saw a little yellow mooglin in the doorway. Fang resisted the urge to lunge at and instead found himself examining his claws. He heard the small creature come closer. Fang was almost sweating now, focusing hard on a knot of fur on the end of his tail. His mouth watered and the vision the small morsel appeared in his hands. This was too much. He shut his eyes and bit down hard on the illusion, only to find his tail now painfully pinched between his teeth. His loud yelp sent the mooglin scampering away.

Almost instantly, someone started coming out of it. Fang stood up. But it wasn't Drake who came through, it was a woman. She wore armor similar to that the guards were wearing earlier, except hers was white. She had black hair that bunched up around her shoulders. She caught sight of him and glared. This action took Fang aback. Suddenly though, as if recognizing what she was staring at, her eyes went wide and she glanced at the teleporter. She bolted from the room. Fang shugged and sat back down. Downstairs he heard a-"good evening madam Despair."

"I'm back!" Fang jumped. He looked back at the teleporter and saw Drake walking out of it with something behind his back.

"What's that" Fang pointed to Drakes arms.

"This, my friend, is the answer to my sword-breaking problem! Walla!" He pulled the object in front of him to reveal a truly magnificent sword. The blade had strange markings o it, four in total, and seemed to emanate a faint light. The handguard he had seen earlier was sealed seamlessly to the blade and handle, which had a small red gem in the pommel. "It's called the Blade of Awe. It was a real pain finding the pieces, but it can't be broken and it's got all these insane powers!" Drake was practically jumping with excitement.

"I can see where it got it's name…" Fang said, gazing at the sword. Drake's face suddenly went blank as he looked out the window.

"And we'll be seeing just how good it is if we don't get past Granemor by sunset!" he bolted out the door and toward the exit, Fang in toe.

"Why are we heading North again?" Fang asked.

"To visit a friend of mine. But we don't want to be caught out near the woods by midnight. My wings should get us as far as we need but…" Drake trailed off as he skidded to a halt outside the Inn.

"You push your luck too far, Drake…" The shuddering Twilly leaned out from behind a steel-clad boot. Drake stared heavily into the hazel eyes of possibly the greatest hero of all Lore: Artix Kreiger.

"What line have I crossed now?" Drake asked, then he noticed that Artix's gaze was not on him, but Fang. Drake's back glowed and a silvery wing unfurled to block Fang from the paladin's view. "He is my charge, he has done nothing wrong." Drake made sure not to raise his voice.

"You know full well that I will not permit the denizens of Darkovia run amuck on civil ground!" Artix said sternly, his grip tightening on the handle of his axe.

"I also know that you crave a united and peaceful Lore as much as I do, so take into consideration that not ALL creatures are the same. How else do you think Galanoth can call a dragon to help him when he hunts them as a living? Because he can accept that at least one… Speak of the devil…" Drake stopped and watched as Galanoth came galloping up on his horse. He dismounted and gave Artix a welcoming slap on the back. Then he seemed to notice who his friend was staring at.

"Well, I see you made it back okay. Where is your fuzzy friend?" Galanoth said looking about. Drake dematerialized his wing to let him see, showing a very indignant Fang looking at Galanoth. "Ah, there he is, thanks again for the sharp shooting earlier." He gave a friendly nod to Fang and turned back to Artix who now looked taken aback.

"He saved you?" Asked the very confused paladin.

"Yup, this one's got a keen eye with a bow. They should let more Wolves into the Slaying order." Galanoth chuckled.

Smiling and shaking his head at Drake, Artix loosed his hold on his axe. "It seems you've proven me wrong again. We must stop meeting this way."

"And we must stop parting this way…" Drake smiled and patted Artix on the shoulder as he bagan to walk past him, motioning for Fang.

"It was… uh, nice, to meet you…" Fang said sheepishly and held out a hand which Artix slowly took. They looked at eachother and smiled.

"**FANG! We'll never make it in time if we don't hurry**!" Drake called to him, already in dragon form. Fang gave one last nod and hurried after Drake.

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Fang awoke to a burning sensation on his ear. He quickly rubbed his head in the dirt to put it out. _'Where did that come from?'_ he asked himself. It didn't take hi m long to find. Drake lay on his side and let out a loud snore, sending a short jet of flame from his gaping mouth. The sight would have been absolutely comical if it weren't for the fact that they had set up camp in a large field. If he didn't stop, he'd set the whole plain alight. Fang gently crept over to Drake's side and rolled him onto his back so he would not face the grass. Suddenly Fang's mouth began to water, he had caught the scent of a small snack. He quietly snuck off in the direction of the smell.

Fang slowly approached a small clearing and hid behind a bush. Peering through the leaves, he could see the small purple mooglin. _'Wait, PURPLE? Weird color…oh well.'_ Fang stared longingly at the creature. It seemed to be chuckling to itself about something.

'_Drake said not to eat them.' _A voice inside Fang's head yelled at him.

'_But He said in the town,' _another voice perked up,_ 'Besides, what he doesn't know, won't hurt you.'_ Fang decided to go with the second voice, besides, who could beat that logic?

He watched silently as the creature raised a small staff and said some strange words. Suddenly the ground around the clearing began splitting open. With a yelp, Fang saw a boney hand clutching his bare ankle. Off in the distance, Fang could hear a snort and what seemed to be a small explosion go off. His attention was caught by the hand and he wrenched it away. The small purple mooglin was now staring at him with a wicked grin, his red eyes fixed on Fang who was now terrified.

"What the heck is going on h… Zorbak!" Drake, in full dragon form, said as he alighted on the ground next to Fang. The caped mooglin gave a mock-bow and muttered something. More hands burst from the ground and latched onto the two's arms and legs.

"Well, it seems my reputation proceeds me… Who do we have here? Can this be?" Zorbak fixed his gaze on Drake. "It is, you're that fire-breathing punk who helped those fools at Battleon hold off my army. Oh revenge is sweeet!" His manic smile broadened as a skeleton pulled itself from the earth with sword in hand and advanced toward the trapped friends. With a lightning movement, Fang had sharply torn away from the hands and pulled out his sword. With one quick upward slash, he had cleaved the undead soldier in half.

"That all you got shorty?" Fang said with a cocky grin as he turned to Face Zorbak. He immediately ate that sentence. Drake had already pulled himself free and was wrestling with five of the hundreds of skeletal warriors now advancing on them. Fang gritted his teeth and lunged into the fray. Skulls flew left and right as Drake sought to reposses his dropped sword, his clawed hand sending bones in every direction. Fang jumped in the air, logging his sword into the skull of an attacker, twisting and bringing the whole body around, flinging into the others. Fang began to charge a large zombie but it was ripped apart by a massive beam of light. Fang looked around and spotted it, Drake had recovered his sword and the golden aura around it was blasting left and right, taking out the undead in droves.

"That it Z? You're losing your touch." Drake laughed as only a few of the small army remained. Zorbak simply pointed his staff Behind Drake and smiled. Now, it was Drake's turn to eat his words. He was caught in the chest and flung over to rest next to Fang and looked up at the massive skeletal form of a Dragon. Moss and dirt clung to its glowing eye sockets and green fire rolled over its still razor-sharp teeth. Debris rained on them as it roared loudly, its spectral rider raising his sword, ready to charge.

Suddenly, a golden blur shot through the air and the rider's body limply fell to the ground, cleanly decapitated. Wide-eyed, Drake and Fang looked at the golden-clad wolf that had landed on the ground, growling at the dracolich. Another glint of gold caught the two's eyes. On a hill overlooking the clearing the shining silhouette of a man could be seen. His short, white hair flowed slightly in the wind and his blue eyes pierced the dark and his smile of utmost confidence. His armor was that of solid gold, but seemed as light as air. In his hand he held a finely-crafted sword with shimmering runes running along it.

Sword in hand the paladin let out a battle cry and raced down the hill.

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_**Sorry this took so long, I've been really busy lately. Next Ch. Is gonna be intense. Don't miss! **_


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